SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Crude-oil futures settled 0.8% higher on Friday, shaking off early weakness to settle at $78.95 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Oil futures gained 4.4% in July, oil's best month since March and its second consecutive monthly gain. Natural gas futures notched a 6.5% gain in July, which follows gains of 7.2% in June. Natural gas for September delivery added 10 cents Friday, or 2%, to settle at $4.92 per million British thermal units.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Barclays Capital raised its forecast for the euro versus the dollar Friday and now expects the shared currency to fall less over the next few months as previously predicted. The euro will decline to $1.27 in the next month, compared to a previous forecast for it to fall to $1.20 from $1.3065 currently. In three months, the euro will decline to $1.25, strategists at Barclays wrote in a research note Friday. The euro has recovered from a four-year low in recent weeks as data in the euro-zone has been surprisingly strong, while U.S. economic reports have missed, they said. "The most likely course in the short run is that data will be the most important factor in relatively thin summer markets," analysts including Paul Robinson wrote. "This is likely to support the U.S. dollar, both because we think that prospects for the U.S. economy are somewhat better than has currently been factored in and because the rally of the euro is going to have something of a dampening impact on the euro area." A stronger euro reduces the competitiveness of exports, which are a big component of the European economy.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Aetna Inc. said Friday that its board authorized the buyback of up to $1 billion in common shares. Aetna, which plans to make share repurchases from time to time, had about 417 million shares outstanding as of June 30.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Copper futures notched their best month since April 2009, rising 12% in July as concerns about the pace of the global recovery eased. Copper for September delivery added 2 cents, or 0.7%, to $3.31 a pound on Friday. Copper's July run contrasts with gold's 5% loss in the month, gold's worst since December. Gold for December delivery, the most-active contract, ended Friday adding $12.70, or 1.1%, to $1,183.90 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Donaldson Co. said Friday it raised the quarterly dividend 4% to 12.5 cents a share. The dividend is payable Sept. 10 to shareholders of record as of Aug. 20.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The nation's auto industry is on the rebound, President Barack Obama said Friday, with all three U.S. automakers operating at a profit for the first time in six years. "There's no doubt the auto industry is growing stronger," Obama said at a Chrylser assembly plant in Detroit. Obama said his administration's $60 billion bailout of the industry is beginning to pay off.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Sources familiar with the matter said Facebook Inc. will likely put talks of going public on the back burner, giving itself more time to add users and increase sales, according to a media report on Friday. The popular social-networking site may aim for a 2012 initial public offering, instead of investor speculations of a 2011 deal. For now, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg holds control of the board and the power to decide when to sell shares. Sources told Bloomberg the extra time would allow Facebook to bolster its user base beyond the 500 million mark, and clear up mounting criticisms over privacy issues. They estimate 2010 sales of $1.4 billion, while private-company exchange SharePost Inc. valued the company at $24.9 billion.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Chrysler Group LLC, managed by Fiat SPA , will add a second shift to its Sterling Heights, Mich., assembly plant, resulting in the addition of 900 jobs in early 2011, the carmaker said Friday. Chrysler also intends to keep the Sterling Heights plant open beyond 2012. "After a careful review of all of our manufacturing operations, it became evident that more production capacity was needed and it made good business sense to extend the life of [the Sterling Heights plant]," said Chrysler Group Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne in a statement.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Spain's economic recovery will be "weak and fragile," underperforming the euro zone, the International Monetary Fund said Friday in a report following a regular consultation between IMF staff and Spanish officials. The IMF has forecast Spanish gross domestic product to shrink by 0.4% in 2010, followed by growth of 0.6% in 2011. The IMF said its executive board stressed the need for Spain to follow through on deficit reduction and pension reforms, as well as efforts to increase the flexibility of the labor market. The IMF said Spain's banking sector "remains sound, but faces elevated and unevenly distributed risks." They applauded the recent consolidation of savings banks and regulatory reforms as well as the decision to publish bank-by-bank stress-test results.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- BioScrip Inc. shares declined 23% in Friday trades. The Elmsford, N.Y., provider of specialty pharmacy and home care products and services estimated that 2010 revenue will come in at the lower end of its expected range of $1.67 billion to $1.72 billion. Second-quarter net income was 6 cents a share versus 11 cents a year earlier. Adjusted net for both periods was 7 cents a share. Revenue reached $412 million, up 25% from $328.7 million. Gross-profit margin widened to 17.8% of revenue from 11.7%, largely because of the contribution from the acquisition of CHS, BioScrip said.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. shares jumped 7.1% Friday after reporting solid quarterly results late Thursday. Canada's leading space technology firm reported second-quarter net income of C$27.5 million, or 67 Canadian cents a share, up from C$25.3 million, or 62 Canadian cents a share, a year ago. The firm posted revenue of C$258.4 million, up from C$245.8 in the year-ago period.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) - U.S. stocks erased their losses on Friday after better-than-expected reads on consumer confidence and Midwest manufacturing helped offset a report illustrating slowing economic growth in the second quarter. Erasing weekly losses, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 17.74 points to 10,484.90. The S&P 500 also pulled into positive turf for the week, adding 1.74 points to 1,103.27. The Nasdaq Composite gained 4.47 points at 2,256.16, leaving it down 0.6% for the not-yet-ended week.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- ITT Corp. shares fell 6% to $47 after the diversified industrial manfacturer trimmed the top end of its 2010 profit forecast and issued a revenue forecast that fell short of analyst expectations. ITT said full-year revenue will be $11 billion, compared with the $11.3 billion in sales analysts surveyed by FactSet Research had expected. Based in White Plains, N.Y., ITT makes pump systems and defense equipment.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) - Shares of TeleNav Inc. plunged about 37% after the mobile navigation services company disclosed ongoing contract negotiations with its largest customer, Sprint Nextel Corp. . TeleNav said it "cannot predict whether or when it will reach agreement ... or what the ultimate financial impact would be." The stock was downgraded to hold or neutral by Deutsche Bank, Baird and J.P. Morgan.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Canadian stocks made steep drops Friday after the release of government data indicating the U.S. economy lost momentum in the second quarter, while the Canadian economy grew slightly in May. The S&P/TSX Composite Index dropped 48 points, or 0.4%, to 11,681 after falling as low as 11,605 earlier. Canada's gross domestic product growth rate of 0.1% in May followed a flat reading in April. Most industry sectors were trading lower Friday.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) - Shares of Micron Technology fell by 6% Friday morning, one of the top decliners on the S&P 500. The chip company's shares are down more than 20% over the past three months, and roughly 30% in 2010.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Gold prices found more solid footing Friday after reports showed that Midwestern manufacturing increased more than expected in July, and consumer sentiment was revised to 67.8 in July. Gold for August delivery was up $1.30 at $1,169.70 per ounce. Gold for December delivery, the most actively traded contract, rose 30 cents to $1,171.50 per ounce. Crude oil slipped 88 cents to $77.49 a barrel.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. consumer sentiment fell in July, according to media reports of a survey released Friday by Reuters and the University of Michigan. The UMich index fell to 67.8 in late July from 76 in late June. An earlier sentiment reading for July was 66.5 Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected a final July level of 67. The June reading was the highest level in more than two years. The average level of the index is around 87. Jobs and a weak economy have been worrying consumers, according to recent data.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- First Solar Inc. fell 5% to, or $6.90, to $128.60, after the solar panel maker reported lower second-quarter profit. The company earned $1.84 a share, down from $2.11 a share, in the year-ago period. Shares are still up 12.7% for the month, however.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) - U.S. stocks trimmed their drop Friday after better-than-expected economic reports on consumer confidence and manufacturing activity in the Chicago area helped offset data illustrating a slowdown in U.S. economic growth in the second quarter. After a triple-digit drop, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was off 42.31 points at 10,424.85. The S&P 500 declined 4.56 points to 1,097. The Nasdaq Composite was off 14.14 points at 2,237.61.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.